1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to vehicle exhaust systems, and more specifically, to improve a Vehicle Exhaust Filtration System and Method.
2. Description of Related Art
In the world today there are thirty million new vehicles produced each year. Virtually all the major cities around the world are being choked by vehicle pollution, and the entire world is suffering more and more as each year passes. In the last ten to fifteen years, the international automotive industry has tried and failed to produce a practical vehicles of either xe2x80x9czero emissionsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9clow emissionsxe2x80x9d types, to no avail. It is generally stated that there is enough fossil fuel left, tapped and untapped, to run vehicles for another fifty-years. As such, it is imperative that a solution is arrived at for this growing problem.
If we turn to FIG. 1, we can see that for a Conventional Tractor Truck (10), the exhaust is passed from the engine to the environment after first passing through a simple Muffler (14) and Exhaust Pipe (12). The muffler (14) may include some filtration capability, or even possibly some method for burning, purifying, or otherwise removing unburned fuel from the effluent stream, however, there is no widely-used system that has both filtration and purification. As a result, these Conventional Tractor Trucks (10) are a great source of the pollutants emitted into the atmosphere; it should be noted that all internal combustion engines contribute to this problem, but particularly on- and off-road-use diesel-powered vehicles.
If we now turn to FIG. 2, we can see that in this simplified system, the Engine (16) discharges exhaust product to an Exhaust Manifold (18), which is then piped to Muffler (14), then out to the atmosphere through the Exhaust pipe (12). What is needed is some method and system to adapt to prior art Engine (16) and Exhaust Manifold (18), such that the effluent contains fewer gaseous and particulate contaminates, in order to alleviate the environmental damage being caused by trucks, cars and other internal combustion vehicles.
In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices and systems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved Vehicle Exhaust Filtration System and Method. The preferred system and method should reduce the airborne contaminants leaving the exhaust pipe of any internal combustion engine to which it is attached. It is a further object that the method and system involve the use of recyclable cartridges that can be exchanged on a planned maintenance program. It is yet another object that the system and method prohibit engines failing to have acceptably clean filter/converters from being started. It is another object that the method and system of the present invention provide an alert to the user, and potentially to external individuals, that the change out deadline is approaching.